Organizations such as on-line retailers, Internet service providers, search providers, financial institutions, universities, and other computing-intensive organizations often conduct computer operations from large scale computing facilities. Such computing facilities house and accommodate a large amount of server, network, and computer equipment to process, store, and exchange data as needed to carry out an organization's operations. Typically, a computer room of a computing facility includes many server racks. Each server rack, in turn, includes many servers and associated computer equipment.
Computer systems typically include a number of components that generate waste heat. Such components include printed circuit boards, mass storage devices, power supplies, and processors. For example, some computers with multiple processors may generate 250 watts of waste heat. Some known computer systems include a plurality of such larger, multiple-processor computers that are configured into rack-mounted components, and then are subsequently positioned within a rack system.
Some known data centers include methods and apparatus that facilitate waste heat removal from rack systems. Many existing methods and apparatus may not, however, provide air for cooling in an effective manner to where it is most needed. Moreover, some known data centers include rack systems having configurations that are non-uniform with respect to component density and usage, such that different parts of a rack generate waste heat at a different rate compared to other parts of the rack.
In many rack systems, fans are used to move air through rack-mounted computer systems to remove heat from components in the computer systems. For example, air may be moved from front to back in the rack. Typically, some areas within a given computer system receive more cooling air than others. Components in areas of a computer system that are not well cooled may be prone to failure.
As with other components, servers fail from time to time while in service. To restore the systems to full operation, servers may need to be powered down and removed from a rack so that the defective components can be replaced or repaired. In systems where many servers are mounted on a common chassis, all of the servers on the chassis must be withdrawn from the rack in order to service one failed server. In this case, cooling air to all of the servers on that chassis is lost, which may impair performance or cause additional failures in the servers on the chassis.
While the invention is susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, specific embodiments thereof are shown by way of example in the drawings and will herein be described in detail. It should be understood, however, that the drawings and detailed description thereto are not intended to limit the invention to the particular form disclosed, but on the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, equivalents and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims. The headings used herein are for organizational purposes only and are not meant to be used to limit the scope of the description or the claims. As used throughout this application, the word “may” is used in a permissive sense (i.e., meaning having the potential to), rather than the mandatory sense (i.e., meaning must). Similarly, the words “include,” “including,” and “includes” mean including, but not limited to.